**Link to Reconnecting Our Water Ways Interview w/ Wil Marquez**
FLOW is a motion-sensitive design installation that addresses the severity of the water pollution crisis present in today’s society through the use of music.
FLOW is reminiscent of a time with plenty of musical flow: the iconic hip hop era. The boombox is a recognizable icon to many. Its purpose and meaning as a vehicle to deliver the water story weighed heavily into any decisions by Indiana based design studio w/purpose.
As a driving concept, the FLOW (n. A rapper’s ability to rhyme to phat beats in a skillful manner) of music is used in correlation to the flow of water. Various flows, rhythms, and rhymes” were produced as a response to the pollution problem at hand in our communities. The aluminum boom box is the appropriate tool to carry a beat – and a message. But how?
A team of computer technicians at Indiana University (Jordan Munson & Ben Smith) used our digital flows and went to work programming and scripting a sensor to recognize and trigger “play” when the sensor recognizes a human form in its field of vision.
Munson and Smith went to work programming a sensor that forms a triangulated field of vision so that the music that plays is connected to where the audience stands. When the audience moves, the song will fade or “flow” into the other song designated to that field of vision.
“The technology and its creative tech architecture was a critical part to our success. The technology lends itself to learning more about behavior, data collection, and public design.” explained w/purpose Principal Wil Marquez. For w/purpose, the message needed to be delivered through music. “A water revolution needs to be delivered through a creative and educational space and platform in our neighborhoods. It was a pleasure working with students, advocates, and consultants. The Davinci Pursuit and ROW are phenomenal partners on projects that require this level of divergent thinking”, said Marquez.
A lot of incredible minds went into putting this all together. Several local businesses helped with FLOWS success, including several custom 3D printed components. Mark Kessling, Director of Divinci Pursuit said it best, “As more and more people experience FLOW, the hope is that conversations will trigger deeper connections to local waterways, and thereby impact the ways in which FLOW is experienced in future visits,†In this way, the culture of water and local communities is always flowing.â€
FLOW creates conversation. It exists to deliver a powerful set of messages to each community in an entertaining, imaginative way.
FLOW BACKGROUND
In 2015 Indianapolis Science and Art Organization “The Davinci Pursuit” commissioned w/purpose to develop a concept for its “ArtPort” initiative. W/purpose invited 14 year old intern Cohron Williams to explore the project with cardboard and lend his music ambitions to the project through the lens of music and water.
Cohron’s early work and lyrics were a powerful driver in pushing the project concept forward. It was during this process that the bigger idea for FLOW emerged. Using the hip hop boombox icon – w/purpose would deliver a unique message about the importance of water in our lives.
After some reading, videos, and research, 14 year old Williams delivered this song on water or “Blue Gold” as his song was titled. Here are those lyrics:
Blue Gold | Cohron Williams
CLICK HERE- (Flow 1_01)
VERSE:
As i stand up to protect what i believe in- face to face with my demons, and all i dont agree with- i fill a cup from the sink, close my eyes, and start drinkin- then i go over my lines and make sure i mean it- water, man, we need it, gotta watch how we treat it- we dump in our garbage, when really we should clean it- say love it and mean it, and keep it like secrets- and have a sense of pride, everytime you drink it- cuz theres people not drinkin, theres people goin thirsty- the water trade like griselda blanco, no mercy- the water running low and we should all be worried- cuz the water closest to us is bad, its dirty- its polluted, its sewage and now we cant use it- but its not too late, we can fix it, improve it- and all we really need, is just two goals- to clean up and take care, of blue gold
CHORUS:
I flow like the water flows- im so thankful for my water hose- people go where the water goes- where we goin go if all the water’s gone- we need water just to live life- without water we cant live right- people go where the water goes- where we goin go if all the water’s gone
That same year, Indianapolis music producer Andrew Vinson and Williams were introduced. Together, steps were taken to develop a number of creative lyrics and rhythms that would work as the digital music for “Flow”.  Vinson, a trained musician, used hip hop as a vehicle to release three “flows” that would educate and inspire.
Please enjoy: